Tag Archives: bake

Fudge Brownies

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Oooh…are these ever good…and super rich! If you’re watching your calories, stay away from these. There are two sticks of butter and nearly a pound of sugar in them. And, because they’re so rich I recommend eating these with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – it’s a must! You can always go for a really long run the morning after;o) Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Fudge Brownie ingredients – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions –

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

2. In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat briefly, just until it’s hot, but not bubbling; it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

3. While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

4. Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.

5. Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.

6. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

7. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

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This is my all time favorite appetizer and it’s definitely a family’s too. It’s such a treat for all of us and we always looks forward to enjoying it. The cocktail sauce isn’t too spicy, so if you enjoy hurting yourself when you eat (because of all the horseradish) add more to your liking. For us, the three tablespoons is the perfect amount. The shrimp cook quickly and perfectly in the oven the flavor is so much more rich compared to boiling them.The hardest part about making this is peeling and deveining the shrimp, which can take at least a half an hour per pound for me anyway. I suppose it’s worth saving the three to five bucks to clean my own so I grin and bear it through all the nasty vein pulling – ick! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail – adapted from Ina Garten

  • 2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp
  • 1 tablespoon good olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

  • 1/2 cup chili sauce (recommended: Heinz)
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

Directions –

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.


Alfredo, Shells, Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese!

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This is a recipe my sister gave me years ago – I don’t know what its official name is, so that explains why this title is so long!;o) It also leaves no questions as to what is in it. My family has always enjoyed this and it couldn’t be easier to throw together. Thanks for reading!

Ingredients –

  • 1 pound box of shell pasta
  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds bone-in skin on chicken breast
  • 1 – 14 ounce bag frozen broccoli florets
  • 1 – 16 ounce jar alfredo sauce
  • 1  – 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • salt, pepper and olive oil for roasting chicken
  • lemon pepper

Directions –

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts then season them well with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes. Let the chicken cool until you can safely handle it, then shred it  and set it aside.

2. Put a large pot of salted water (at least a gallon) to boil. Once it’s come to a rolling boil pour the pasta into the pot, stir occasionally to prevent sticking and to ensure even cooking. Once it’s finished, drain pasta and set aside.

3. Steam the broccoli in the microwave by dumping the bag in a microwave safe container. Add a little water then cover tightly with plastic wrap – don’t forget to poke a few holes to let steam out. I cooked mine for 4 minutes – they don’t have to be completely cooked through.

4. Get a large bowl out add pasta, shredded chicken, cheese, broccoli and alfredo sauce, then season well with lemon pepper. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam and pour the pasta mixture then sprinkle the top with more cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes, or if you like your cheese to brown and bubbly, you can place it under the broiler for a few minutes instead. Enjoy!

Stromboli

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This is my first time making a Stromboli, which is basically a giant pizza roll. It’s not from one recipe, more like bits and pieces of ones I have found online. M grilled a pound of the Italian sausage that was left of the giant package from Sam’s Club, and there is about a pound of Italian cheeses leftover from mac and cheese night. I guess you could use any leftover meats, vegetables and cheese that you need to re-purpose for a dish like this. Here’s the recipe I found that I’m using as a guideline.

These turned out so well – this recipe is definitely a new favorite for us. I served this with a green salad with tomatoes and bell peppers, and a side of marinara sauce for dipping. I’m always happy when a new recipe turns out well! Thanks for reading, enjoy!


Pepperoni and Sausage Stromboli Ingredients –

  • 2 – 1 pound balls of pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
  • 1/2 – 3/4 pound of Italian sausage, grilled and diced
  • 1/4 – 1/2 pound of deli sliced pepperoni, quartered
  • 1/2 – 3/4 pound of mixed Italian cheeses
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 TBSP of water
  • dried Italian seasoning
  • 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese

Directions –
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll out your pizza dough into a rectangle, about 14 inches by 8 inches – roughly. Layer your meats and cheeses, being careful to leave a one inch border on all sides. Make your egg wash and lightly bush it around the border, then start to roll your Stromboli. Make sure to pinch all seams and tuck the ends under, then place seam side down on a parchment lined half sheet pan. Brush remaining egg wash on the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the pizza seasoning and Parmesan cheese over the tops if desired. Bake for 30 to 35 minute until golden brown (and delicious!)

Pumpkin Bread

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Tomorrow morning there is a Moms4Moms meeting and it’s my table’s turn to bring cold food. I make this a lot, but the last time I made it, one of the loaves didn’t cook through as quickly as the other. For some reason, both loaves took way longer to bake than the recommended time. Hopefully this time around, I wont run into problems. I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my food, so I threw away the loaf that didn’t quite get there…I was so bummed about it. I will be sure to keep an eye on my oven thermometer and give both loaf pans plenty of space in the oven. Also, the last time I made it I didn’t have any ground cloves! I have been shopping around for that spice for weeks now. At Publix, they cost anywhere from 4.99 to 7.99! I couldn’t find ground cloves at Target, and the specialty store I went to sold theirs for over 8 dollars – why are they so expensive? Well, today I had to suck it up and purchase the tiny container you can see in the ingredients picture. Next time I am in the need for several different spices, I’m going to shop online. I looked around at different sites, and every thing was much cheaper.

I love the way the house smelled when these were baking. Weirdness happened again with this recipe. One loaf took a good 10 minutes longer to finish baking than the other one. I made sure that it cooked through as I poked it with a toothpick in several places. I’ll know for sure once I cut into these later on tonight. The kids love this bread and I do too, but the last time I made it they didn’t get any. I may just take one and a half of the loaves to the meeting tomorrow. I am also bringing red grapes so I’m not being stingy with the goods! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients – adapted from Allrecipes.com

  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil – you can substitute all or half the oil with unsweetened apple sauce
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 3 cups white sugar – I always use half white/half light brown sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg – fresh is best
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Directions –

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7×3 inch loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
  3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Sandwich Bread

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With the appliance rebate we received a few months ago, I bought my KitchenAid standing mixer. Best. Appliance. Ever. M talked me into getting one of the largest models available – and this was it. I was hesitant at first thinking I would never need such a large capacity, but I’m glad I took his advice. I use it several times a week  – it’s so powerful and convenient, especially when it comes to bread making. I have only tried hand kneading once but when I use this, it takes all of the guess work out of the process. All the bread I have made since I started using the KitchenAid has come out perfectly. It’s so nice to let the machine do all the hard work because if I didn’t have it, I would have to hand knead for at least 10 minutes – no thanks! Since it’s purchase in July, I haven’t bought a loaf of bread! Let me tell you – the difference is like night and day when comparing taste and quality. I used to make this with plain bread flour but about a month ago I started adding white whole wheat in combination with it. White whole wheat is milled from white spring wheat rather than the traditional red wheat and it’s lighter in color and milder tasting. If you buy this type of wheat flour, it’s recommended that you store it in the freezer to prolong shelf life. I keep this, my whole wheat and my semolina flour all in the freezer just to be safe. On this blog I will be sure to post all the different recipes that I try. I have so many bookmarked from other blogs, like a cinnamon swirl bread, brioche, Challah, dinner rolls, oatmeal bread…the list goes on.

This is my go to recipe for sandwich bread and I often double it to freeze the other loaf for later on in the week. We easily go through these two loaves before the weekend, and I have found that freezing the bread doesn’t change the taste or texture. Thanks for reading! I look forward to sharing more bread recipes with you.

White Sandwich Bread – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 1 packet “highly active” active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 7 to 9 ounces lukewarm water
  • 12 3/4 ounces of unbleached all-purpose flour, bread flour or a combination of bread flour and white whole wheat flour (I use 5 1/4 ounces of whole white wheat and 7 1/2 ounces of bread flour)
  • 1 1/4 tsp of salt (I use bread salt)
  • 3 TBSP sugar (I use raw sugar)
  • 6 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup Baker’s Special Dry Milk or non fat dry milk
  • 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp of diastatic malt powder, optional (it helps prolong shelf life)

Directions –
1.  If you’re using active dry yeast, dissolve it with a pinch of sugar in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you’re using instant yeast, you can skip this step.
2. Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remainder of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you’ve made a smooth dough. If you’re kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 7 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, for 1 to 2 hours, or until it’s nearly doubled in bulk. Rising may take longer, especially if you’ve kneaded by hand. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.
4. Gently deflate the dough and shape it into an 8″ log.
5. Transfer the log, smooth side up, to a lightly greased 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.
6. Allow the bread to rise till it’s crested about 1 1/4″ over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour. Again, it may rise more slowly for you; let it rise till it’s 1 1/4″ over the rim of the pan, even if that takes longer than an hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Tent it lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, till the crust is golden brown, and the interior temperature measures 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.
8. Remove the bread from the oven, and gently loosen the edges with a heatproof spatula or table knife. Turn it out of the pan, and brush the top surface with butter, if desired; this will give it a soft, satiny crust. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. As soon as it’s completely cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap; or in a plastic bag, air pressed and fastened securely at the top.

Pizza Night

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Aaaww…yeah! Everyone’s favorite night – well I know it’s ours anyway. I always make two different kinds – one that the kids can’t turn down and the other is a special one for mom and dad. I love making pizza from scratch and will be sure to post about the pizza sauce recipe I use and the pizza dough recipe, too. I keep both on hand in the freezer – it makes pizza night so quick and easy. The little investment of time and effort completely pay off when you compare homemade vs. store bought – especially in price! There’s not contest. A five pound bag of bread flour costs less than 4 dollars, and the 1.5 pound bag semolina flour costs less than 5 dollars. With those two bags, I can make about 8 pounds of pizza dough which for us equals eight large pizzas dough portions.

Pizza night was a success as usual. Even my picky-eat-like-a -bird daughter scarfed her’s down and little boy M said he wanted thirds. Thanks for reading!

Ingredients for Pepperoni Pizza –

  • 1 – 15 ounce ball of pizza dough, homemade or store bought
  • 1 cup of pizza sauce, homemade or store bought
  • 4 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese, torn
  • 15 slices of pepperoni
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Pizza seasoning or dried oregano (optional)

*Preheat your oven to 475 about 15 minutes before you make your pizza. I use a pizza stone and place it on the lowest rack of my oven.
1. On a piece of parchment paper, shape the pizza dough into the desired diameter. I use a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Work from the inside out, and gradually move your hands away from the center of the dough. You could also do this with a rolling pin – I happen to love using my hands for the job. Once you’ve achieved the size you want, take a fork and poke the tines all over the surface of the dough.
2. Spread the pizza sauce all over, making sure to leave about an inch around the circumference. Next, take your torn mozzarella and place on top of the sauce. Because it’s fresh mozzarella, you can leave lots of empty space because this type of mozz melts beautifully and spreads itself nicely when heated. I love the stuff! Top with pepperoni, followed by your Parmesan cheese and dried seasonings if desired.
3. Carefully transfer the pizza – still on its parchment paper to an upside-down sheet pan. I use it like a pizza peel to move it to the stone in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. Using the sheet pan again, remove the pizza from the oven and place the parchment paper and all onto a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the BBQ Chicken Pizza –

  • 1 – 15 ounce ball of pizza dough, homemade or store bought
  • 1/3 cup of store bought BBQ sauce, I used Sonny’s
  • 1/2 cup smoked Gouda cheese
  • 3 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese, torn
  • 1/8 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 6 – 8 ounces shredded, cooked chicken – sauced with a few tablespoons of BBQ and ranch dressing – trust me on this one!
  • Fresh cilantro (optional)  if you have it – I didn’t but it’s a great addition
  • 2 small Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • Pizza seasoning and dried oregano (optional)

Shape the dough and dock with fork as above. I placed the toppings in this order: BBQ sauce, mozzarella, 1/2 the smoked Gouda, all the chicken, the other half of the Gouda, Parmesan, then the dried seasonings, and tomatoes. Transfer the pizza to a sheet pan and then into the oven for about 10 minutes. Place on a rack to cool as before and enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

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I have been planning this meal for some time. It’s one of our favorites and I haven’t been able to make it for several months. Pot pies don’t go well with nasty, humid weather. Fall is my very favorite time of year because it goes hand in hand with comfort foods. It would be nice if the weather would cooperate with the time of year! Oh, to live in a place with four distinct seasons…I have yet to know what that is like. Although, areas where there is an actual visible transition into Fall usually equals really cold and long winters…I couldn’t handle that. I get cold when it’s below 75 degrees!

I used two different recipes to make this pot pie – one from Food.com and the other is an Ina Garten recipe. This is my first attempt at making pastry dough. The food processor makes it super quick and easy, but as with most types of dough, this one can be a little fussy. Everything has to be ice-cold and you can’t over work it or it will become tough. Of course I could have just picked up store-bought pie dough today, but I like the challenge because lately I have really enjoyed making as many meals from scratch as possible.

The pastry dough turned out so flaky and flavorful – there is nothing better than a first try turning out well. Everyone enjoyed this, even S told me “thank you” tonight – she’s my picky eater. I know this recipe has lots of steps, but take the help where you can get it – buy a rotisserie chicken and pre-made pie dough. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Roasted Chicken – adapted from Ina Garten

  • 4 bone in skin on chicken breasts – about 4 pounds
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Shred or dice the chicken. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

Pastry Dough – adapted from Ina Garten

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie – adapted from Food.com

  • 2 cups potato, diced
  • 1.5 cups onion, diced
  • 1.5 cups celery, diced
  • 1.5 cup carrot, diced
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1.5 cups half and half
  • 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups roasted chicken breast, shredded
  • 2 pie crusts (either store-bought or your own recipe)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Saute onion, celery, carrots and potatoes in butter for about 10 minutes. Add flour to sautéed mixture, stirring well. Cook one minute stirring constantly.Combine broth and half and half.Gradually stir into vegetable mixture.Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.Stir in salt and pepper; add chicken and stir well.Pour into one 13 x 9 casserole dish and top with pastry dough. Cut slits to allow steam to escape. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly.